An Interview with Lee Prescott

Thank you, Cindy for welcoming me to your wonderful blog. This is one of my favorite places to search for great books! I am pleased to highlight my romantic suspense series, The Roger and Bess Mysteries in this post. There are three books in this series with the fourth coming in fall of 2016.

What genre(s) do you write in and why? ?

I write the books I love to read — contemporary romances, mysteries (three different series), and YA fiction. I enjoy reading biographies, but I doubt I will ever attempt to write one! I’ve published three nonfiction books in my field of literacy education.

Tell us about your current series.

The first Roger and Bess mystery, A Friend of Silence, was written twenty eight years ago. I wrote the second and third titles, In the Name of Silence and The Silence of Memory, more recently, and I am drafting book #4 right now. The setting is a New England coastal village, where Bess teaches at a Quaker School, hence the silence in the titles. Sergeant Roger Demaris, Bess’ former lover, investigates a vicious murder at Old Harbor Friends School and the two reunited after twenty years. Their developing relationship forms the heart of this series as they work together to solve murders and other crimes.

What is your favorite part of writing?

Getting carried away by my characters. A cup of tea, a story unfolding before me, and I gleefully step into my fictional worlds. I also love revising, but am a terrible proofreader.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

Rereading one of my published books and finding typos despite expert copyediting and proofing. I feel like I’ve let my readers down and they deserve a clean, perfect book every time!

What is your next project and when will it be released?

My next projects are book #4 in the Ricky Steele series, book #4 of my Morgan’s Run, contemporary romance series, (for those of you who know the series, this will be Sam and Rose’s story) and the fourth Roger and Bess book. All three aforementioned books are in early drafts. If I had to guess, I’d say the Morgan’s Run title will be published first, in late summer and the others in the fall of 2016. If you sign up for my newsletter or push the yellow “follower button” on Amazon, you’ll have access to my updates as publishing dates draw near.

How has your experience with self-publishing been?

Terrific from day one! The best part is hearing from readers who love the books and want more. I am so grateful to them, one and all.

Give us an elevator pitch for your book.

Full of suspense, danger and romance, the Roger and Bess Mysteries are peopled strong, deeply human characters who will make you smile, laugh, cry and care. The stories will touch your heart, keep you on the edge of your seat, and have you guessing right up to the end!

Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.

Rough around the edges, the darkly handsome forty something, Roger Demaris’ possesses a smoldering anger tempered with mindfulness as the series progresses. An acute listener and keen observer, he heads a team of fiercely loyal detectives. He does anything to shelter and protect the people he loves – his team, his family and Bess, whom he has loved since their high school romance.

Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.

As the series opens, forty something Bess Dore still grieves the death of her beloved husband, Mac. Soft around the edges, the shy, lovely schoolteacher’s quiet presence presents a sharp contrast to that of her fiery former lover. Readers find her interesting, but wish she had more of a backbone. They also wish she would take a more active role in solving the mysteries. I’m happy to say that she does in book #4!

Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.

A Friend of Silence

What safer haven could there be than a Quaker boarding school in a tiny New England coastal village? What secrets lie beneath its serene and quiet beauty?

Out of the blue, the campus is laid open, the peace of Old Harbor Friends shattered by the murder of lascivious, comptroller, Milt Wickie. Wickie is discovered in his office, a scrimshaw knife protruding from his chest, a knife belonging to beloved teacher and grieving widow, Bess Dore.

Initially a suspect, the forty-two year old, Bess is soon exonerated and jumps headlong into a murder investigation along with old flame, police detective, Roger Demaris, and Harry Winthrop, an amateur sleuth, prolific writer, and the son of the school’s wealthiest patron.

Will Bess find romance along the way, giving her heart to the gruff police officer, who still adores her, or to the fly-by-night, but charming Harry who is clearly smitten? Will the killer strike again? Will the silence and calm of the 200-year old Friends school ever again be restored?

In the Name of Silence

A shocking murder on the eve of a wedding sends Roger Demaris, and his elite homicide team to the village of Old Harbor where the son of the village’s wealthiest citizen is found dead in the woods with an arrow through his heart.

No hunting accident, Demaris’ team pursues a ruthless killer as they delve into the victim’s past and what lies beneath the silence. Six weeks away from marriage to Bess Dore, a local teacher and old flame of Demaris, the deceased has left a string of women who loved him and a village mourning a popular, generous citizen. What lies beneath the silence? What or who hides behind a name?

The Silence of Memory

Once again the quiet, seaside village of Old Harbor is shaken by a series of murders. Someone is killing members of a women’s mystery book club and all clues lead back to lothario, Dennis Harrison, who appears to have slept with half the women within a ten-mile radius. When a child goes missing and a woman’s body is found in the woods zipped into a golf bag belonging to Harrison, Roger Demaris, head of RHD, an elite regional homicide team, is yanked from his honeymoon to investigate.

As newlyweds Roger and Bess move into their new house and anticipate the arrival of his children for a visit, RHD races to find a killer before he or she strikes again. Then, another member of the book club is killed, a third viciously attacked, and two villagers vanish. Will Roger, Pete, Greta and Brendan find them in time or has a stealthy predator slipped the noose again?

Excerpt from Book #1: A Friend of Silence

Chapter 6

School comptroller, Carol Richards, turned on the junior officer. “This is ridiculous. How long must we stay cooped up in this room, for goodness sakes? Garrett and I have checked our offices. Nothing’s out of place, so what is the point? I ask you, what is the bloody point?”

When these words had no effect on Pete Dugan, she strode up to him, her face inches from his freckles. “Officer, you know perfectly well where I live. Why the bloody hell can’t your high and mighty Sergeant what’s his name come up to my apartment when he finally decides to show up?”

“Sorry, miss,” Dugan mumbled for the tenth time. “Won’t be much longer now. He’ll be along directly.” Carol resumed her pacing. Dugan stepped back, perhaps fearing the stiletto heels were coming a little too close.

Bess wondered why the business manager had bothered to dress in heels and a silk suit to come out in the middle of the night. She had seen Carol earlier in the day and she had not been wearing the black and white checked suit with flaming red, gossamer-thin blouse and two inch, black patent leather heels she wore now. I’d have remembered that outfit, Bess thought, her head beginning to pound to the rhythm of the relentless clicking heels. Turning back to the headmaster, she was embarrassed to find he’d been talking to her.

“What do you think, Bess?”

“I’m sorry Peter, I’m afraid I wasn’t listening.” She blushed, pushing strands of hair from her face. Desperately tired, she longed for the warmth of her bed, piled high with eiderdowns, a pot of herbal tea on her bedside table and an hour to lose herself in her Anne Greyson mystery. “I’m just a little tired, Peter, forgive me, you were saying?”

“Do you suppose they’ll question us en masse or one at a time?”

“I haven’t any idea. I….” Her voice trailed off, as the door opened and Roger Demaris stepped into the room. Of course, it would be Roger, who else would they send? Why hadn’t she thought of it before? The detective’s eyes scanned the room, resting briefly on her own before moving on.

“Well, it’s about bloody time.” Carol stalked up, confronting the short, stocky sergeant. “Now, see here, you. I insist upon being questioned first. I’ve got nothing whatsoever to do with this matter and I’ve had a very long day, not to mention a busy day tomorrow. I have absolutely nothing to contribute to this inquiry, so, if you would just —”

“Take a seat, Miss?”

“Richards, and I will not take a seat.”

Demaris regarded her, anger flashing for an instant in the icy blue eyes. “Miss Richards, please take a seat.” His voice was calm, soft. “We’ll get to you as soon as we can. We’ve all had busy days and no one wants to keep you here a minute longer than necessary. I’ll be talking with the children first, if you don’t mind.” As she opened her mouth to speak, he added, “And, we’ll be the judge of what you might contribute, thank you. Pete, did you find us a place?”

“Yes sir. Next door, janitor’s put on the lights. Do you want to go upstairs first?”

“Already seen him [murder victim], thanks. Now, then, Mrs. Dore, why don’t you bring the two girls and follow me. That’s right, you can come with them. Come on.”

Like he’s talking to a two-year-old, Bess thought, rising obediently. As they followed the sergeant out of the study hall, his hand grazed her back sending shivers up her spine. She dared not glance in Carol Richards’ direction.

About Lee

Lee Prescott is the author of dozens of works of fiction for adults, young adults and children, among them The Ricky Steele Mysteries (Prepped to Kill, Gadfly, Lost in Spindle City), The Roger and Bess Mysteries (A Friend of Silence, In the Name of Silence and The Silence of Memory) Jigsaw, Song of the Spirit, and her newest contemporary romance series, Morgan’s Run Romances, (Emma’s Dream, Lang’s Return and Jeb’s Promise). Three of her nonfiction titles have been published by Heinemann and she has published numerous articles in her field of literacy education. Lee is a professor of education at a small New England liberal arts college where she teaches reading and writing pedagogy. Her current research focuses on mindfulness and connections to reading and writing. She regularly teaches abroad, most recently in Singapore. Lee loves to hear from readers. Email her anytime at mleeprescott@gmail.com, and visit her website to hear the latest and sign up for her newsletter.